


North Sister Island

by Lepidopteran (lepi)



Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Flirting, Heteronormative Assumptions, Pre-Romance, Uneasy Allies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 16:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3576138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lepi/pseuds/Lepidopteran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: the clones come to Earth earlier, and Blackarachnia isn't impressed by the Seeker models taking up residence on her island.  Not at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	North Sister Island

Even if she hadn't been surrounded by partially upgraded experimental human equipment, Blackarachnia would have known the Seekers weren't Starscream. Starscream was vain enough that he would never let anyone paint him over, and he would never do it himself. Blackarachnia knew _that_ much. But she _was_ surrounded by equipment, and that equipment told her this: there were also way too many of them to be Starscream.

Her orders to the Dinobots were clear: leave them alone unless they make themselves a threat. She didn't think her bodyguards would hold off the Starscream lookalikes if they were serious— there were more of them, for one thing, and for another, Seeker models packed a significant amount of firepower. But, well, Starscream had a habit of thinking with his ego instead of his processor, and the Dinobots were simple enough that they could lull a bot into a false sense of security.

Blackarachnia herself, of course, was used to looking under the plating at the bot underneath. She'd never have survived seeing her own reflection otherwise. And she had a lot more experience getting other bots to believe she was harmless.

So when she found the purple and turquoise Seeker model in her lab, without any warning from the Dinobots, she couldn't say she was surprised, exactly. Annoyed, maybe, that Grimlock and the other two had fallen asleep on the job; she didn't keep them around for their scintillating personalities or because she actually _enjoyed_ having their simple processors leak out of their heads every time she simpered in their general direction.

"So," she purred, taking a gliding step towards the Seeker. "You finally decided to drop in to see little old me, hmm? Was there something you wanted?"

"That depends on what you've got to offer," the other said with a smirk, and Blackarachnia's eyes narrowed. The difference was more subtle than she was used to hearing on Cybertron, but those tonal inflections were definitely feminine rather than masculine or neutral.

Blackarachnia felt almost disappointed for a moment. She hadn't been able to catch the attention of anyone attractive since, well… Optimus, and that didn't bear thinking about, not in the least because she couldn't stand that peculiar lust-revulsion her new technorganic body set off in _him_ , of all bots. She shook it off; the disappointment was probably just because she'd been trapped on this island with only the Dinobots for company. _Anyone_ would get desperate for genuine Cybertronian models after being exposed to those brutes day in and day out.

But if one of the Seeker group identified female, chances were high flirting wouldn't work with any of them. Blackarachnia scowled and straightened, her shoulder legs twitching. "Are you trying to threaten me?" she asked. Without her main method of getting close, she'd have to rely on speed, and speed wasn't something she could match a Seeker model in.

"Relax, if I wanted to scrap you, I would have done it while your back was turned," the Seeker model drawled. She even _sounded_ like Starscream, if Blackarachnia ignored the gender inflections and the words themselves. "You're a Decepticon, right? You've got that mark—" the Seeker reached out, but when Blackarachnia stepped back, she only smirked and shrugged. "Why aren't you working with Megatron?"

"Because he's scrap metal," Blackarachnia said, glowering. "Plain and simple." And even if he weren't, she _finally_ had a lead on the reversal process that Cybertronian scientists would never deign to touch— Decepticons included. "Those badges on your wings aren't looking too polished, either, sweetie."

The Seeker's wings twitched. "Funny. It's not like we had a choice— we were created this way." Blackarachnia didn't really care— she'd known about the protoforms— but at her lack of reaction, the Seeker's optics narrowed. "What, you don't think it's at all suspicious that we look like Starscream and somehow appeared on this planet out of nowhere?"

Well, when she put it that way… Blackarachnia scowled. "Wait, that pile of charred circuits _cloned himself?_ "

Strangely, the Seeker— the _clone_ — didn't react to the insult except to smirk. "That's sure what it looks like!"

"And you're here for my laboratory."

"I thought we could share, personally." The clone shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, I wasn't planning on letting the others in unless they behaved."

Blackarachnia folded her arms. "No, you're going to have to explain this to me. If Starscream cloned himself, how are you female?"

"Please," the clone scoffed. "I didn't inherit _every_ trait from him. Just… one." She matched Blackarachnia's pose and smirked again. "My paint job is prettier."

Blackarachnia would have agreed a moment ago, would have used that opening to sidle closer, but she didn't.

"So how about it? I won't get in your way. I just want to make a few… modifications. Just like you."

Blackarachnia stared at her for a long moment, assessing. She could still feel the danger alerts pinging at her. The clone was female; she was fast; she was unpredictable. Her coding had to be unstable. Blackarachnia couldn't trust her. But that also meant that the Seeker was right; she could have killed Blackarachnia easily, without ever saying anything.

Blackarachnia _hated_ feeling outmatched. She forced herself to relax and turn away. "Do what you like," she said.

The faint brush of what might have been a wingtip against the back of her shoulder legs made her tense, but the Seeker just said, "Thanks," in that smarmy Starscream voice of hers.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Fully Capable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3981988) by [Lepidopteran (lepi)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lepi/pseuds/Lepidopteran)




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